Your Key to IELTS SuccessiiCopyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.From the desk of Tom Paulson, Director of Test-Taking Strategy at IELTSSecrets, May 5, 2002-Dear future IELTS Success Story:Congratulations on your purchase of the most advanced test-taking manualfor the IELTS. Notice I did not say study guide- there are plenty of decentstudy guides on the market, but that was not our objective in writing thismanual. Our goal is to seek and exploit specific weaknesses in the IELTSassessment, and then share those secrets with our customers.Lets be perfectly honest here- youve worked hard enough in the past, and ifyou want to spend hours in a study guide to boost your score, thats a greatthing to do. In fact, we recommend at least a brief review of some of thebetter study guides on the market. But thats simply not enough to do well inthe high-pressure high-stakes environment of the test day. How well you doon this test will have a significant impact on your future- and we have theresearch and practical advice to help you execute on test day.The product youre reading now is much more than a study guide- it is atactical weapon designed to exploit weaknesses in the test itself, and helpyou avoid the most common errors students make when taking the IELTS.How to use this manualWe dont want to waste your time. This manual is fast-paced and fluff-free.We suggest going through it a number of times, trying out its methods on anumber of official practice tests.First, read through the manual completely to get a feel for the content andorganization. Read the general success strategies first, and then proceed toiiiCopyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.the individual test sections. Each tip has been carefully selected for itseffectiveness.Second, read through the manual again, and take notes in the margins andhighlight those sections where you may have a particular weakness (westrongly suggest printing the manual out on a high-quality printer).Third, go through at least one official practice test with the manual at yourside and apply the strategies. We believe three practice tests to be themaximum benefit, the first time with all strategies except time (take as muchtime as you need), the second time with all strategies and time constraints,and a third time without the benefit of the open manual to refer to during thetest. See the appendix for the exclusive list of practice test sources webelieve to be valuable. Quick tip- there is no greater waste of time thanstudying practice tests written by anyone other than IELTS.Finally, bring the manual with you on test day and study it before the exambegins.Your success is our successWe would be delighted to hear your IELTS Success Story. Drop us a line atieltssecrets@ieltssecrets.com and tell us your story. Thanks for yourbusiness and we wish you continued success-Sincerely,The IELTS Secrets TeamivCopyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.TABLE OF CONTENTSSECRET KEY #1 TIME IS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY. ............................................................... 1SUCCESS STRATEGY #1......................................................................................................................... 2Pace Yourself .................................................................................................................................. 2Scanning ......................................................................................................................................... 3SECRET KEY #2 GUESSING IS NOT GUESSWORK..................................................................... 4MONKEYS TAKE THE IELTS ................................................................................................................. 4SUCCESS STRATEGY #2......................................................................................................................... 5SPECIFIC GUESSING TECHNIQUES .......................................................................................................... 7Slang............................................................................................................................................... 7Extreme Statements ......................................................................................................................... 7Similar Answer Choices................................................................................................................... 7Hedging .......................................................................................................................................... 8SUMMARY OF GUESSING TECHNIQUES................................................................................................... 8SECRET KEY #3 PRACTICE SMARTER, NOT HARDER ............................................................ 9SUCCESS STRATEGY #3......................................................................................................................... 9SECRET KEY #4 PREPARE, DONT PROCRASTINATE............................................................ 11THE LISTENING MODULE .............................................................................................................. 12Main Ideas .................................................................................................................................... 12Voice Changes............................................................................................................................... 12Specifics........................................................................................................................................ 13Interpret........................................................................................................................................ 13Find the Hidden Meaning.............................................................................................................. 13Memory Enhancers........................................................................................................................ 14THE READING MODULE.................................................................................................................. 16SKIMMING.......................................................................................................................................... 16PARAGRAPH FOCUS ............................................................................................................................ 18ELIMINATE CHOICES........................................................................................................................... 19CONTEXTUAL CLUES .......................................................................................................................... 20FACT/OPINION.................................................................................................................................... 20Opposites ...................................................................................................................................... 21Make Predictions........................................................................................................................... 22Answer the Question...................................................................................................................... 22vCopyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Benchmark .................................................................................................................................... 22New Information............................................................................................................................ 23Key Words..................................................................................................................................... 23Valid Information.......................................................................................................................... 24TIME MANAGEMENT........................................................................................................................... 24FINAL WARNINGS............................................................................................................................... 24Hedge Phrases Revisited................................................................................................................ 24Word Usage Questions .................................................................................................................. 25Switchback Words ......................................................................................................................... 25Avoid Fact Traps....................................................................................................................... 26THE WRITING MODULE.................................................................................................................. 27Brainstorm.................................................................................................................................... 27Strength through Diversity............................................................................................................. 27Pick a Main Idea ........................................................................................................................... 28Weed the Garden........................................................................................................................... 28Create a Logical Flow................................................................................................................... 29Start Your Engines......................................................................................................................... 29Dont Panic................................................................................................................................... 30Check Your Work .......................................................................................................................... 31Shortcut Keys ................................................................................................................................ 32FINAL NOTE ....................................................................................................................................... 32THE SPEAKING MODULE................................................................................................................ 34Part 1............................................................................................................................................ 34Part 2............................................................................................................................................ 34Part 3............................................................................................................................................ 34Exhausting the Possibilities ........................................................................................................... 35Tell a Story.................................................................................................................................... 35One Size Fits All............................................................................................................................ 36Find the Bridges............................................................................................................................ 37Pregnant Pause ............................................................................................................................. 38Taking the Final Step..................................................................................................................... 38Practice Makes Perfect.................................................................................................................. 39SPECIAL REPORT: HOW YOUR IELTS SCORE IS VIEWED, AND WHAT THIS MEANS FORYOU...................................................................................................................................................... 40SPECIAL REPORT: WHAT JOBS REQUIRE WHICH IELTS SCORES....................................... 41viCopyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.SPECIAL REPORT: WHICH IELTS STUDY GUIDES AND PRACTICE TESTS ARE WORTHYOUR TIME........................................................................................................................................ 42PRACTICE TESTS................................................................................................................................. 42STUDY GUIDE..................................................................................................................................... 421Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Secret Key #1 Time is your greatest enemy.To succeed on the IELTS, you must use your time wisely. Many students do notfinish at least one module. The table below shows the time challenge you arefaced with:Module Total amountof time allottedNumber ofquestionsTime to answereach questionListening 30 min 40 .75 minReading 60 min 40 .67 minWriting 60 min 2 30 minSpeaking 11-14 min N/A N/AAs you can see, the time constraints are brutal. To succeed, you must rationyour time properly. The reason that time is so critical is that every questioncounts the same toward your final score. If you run out of time on any passage,the questions that you do not answer will hurt your score far more than earlierquestions that you spent extra time on and feel certain are correct.On the Reading Module, the test is separated into passages. The reason thattime is so critical is that 1) every question counts the same toward your finalscore, and 2) the passages are not in order of difficulty. If you have to rushduring the last passage, then you will miss out on answering easier questionscorrectly. It is natural to want to pause and figure out the hardest questions, butyou must resist the temptation and move quickly.2Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Success Strategy #1Pace YourselfWear a watch to the IELTS Test. At the beginning of the test, check the time (orstart a chronometer on your watch to count the minutes), and check the timeafter each passage or every few questions to make sure you are on schedule.Remember that on the Listening and Reading Modules you have a little over halfa minute for each question. If you can work quickly, you can pace yourself at halfa minute per question, which makes it easy to keep track of your time.If you find that you are falling behind time during the test, you must speed up.Even though a rushed answer is more likely to be incorrect, it is better to miss acouple of questions by being rushed, than to completely miss later questions bynot having enough time. It is better to end with more time than you need than torun out of time.If you are forced to speed up, do it efficiently. Usually one or more answerchoices can be eliminated without too much difficulty. Above all, dont panic.Dont speed up and just begin guessing at random choices. By pacing yourself,and continually monitoring your progress against the clock or your watch, you willalways know exactly how far ahead or behind you are with your available time. Ifyou find that you are a few minutes behind on a module, dont skip questionswithout spending any time on it, just to catch back up. Spend perhaps a little lessthan half a minute per question and after a few questions, you will have caughtback up more gradually. Once you catch back up, you can continue working eachproblem at your normal pace. If you have time at the end, go back then and finishthe questions that you left behind.Furthermore, dont dwell on the problems that you were rushed on. If a problemwas taking up too much time and you made a hurried guess, it must have been3Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.difficult. The difficult questions are the ones you are most likely to miss anyway,so it isnt a big loss. If you have time left over, as you review the skippedquestions, start at the earliest skipped question, spend at most another half aminute, and then move on to the next skipped question.Lastly, sometimes it is beneficial to slow down if you are constantly getting aheadof time. You are always more likely to catch a careless mistake by working moreslowly than quickly, and among very high-scoring test takers (those who arelikely to have lots of time left over), careless errors affect the score more thanmastery of material.ScanningFor Reading passages, dont waste time reading, enjoying, and completelyunderstanding the passage. Simply scan the passage to get a rough idea ofwhat it is about. You will return to the passage for each question, so there is noneed to memorize it. Only spend as much time scanning as is necessary to get avague impression of its overall subject content.4Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Secret Key #2 Guessing is not guesswork.You probably know that guessing is a good idea on the IELTS- unlike otherstandardized tests, there is no penalty for getting a wrong answer. Even if youhave no idea about a question, you still have a 20-25% chance of getting it right.Most students do not understand the impact that proper guessing can have ontheir score. Unless you score extremely high, guessing will significantlycontribute to your final score.Monkeys Take the IELTSWhat most students dont realize is that to insure that 20-25% chance, you haveto guess randomly. If you put 20 monkeys in a room to take the IELTS,assuming they answered once per question and behaved themselves, onaverage they would get 20-25% of the questions correct on a five choice multiplechoice problem. Put 20 students in the room, and the average will be muchlower among guessed questions. Why?1. IELTS intentionally writes deceptive answer choices that look right. Astudent has no idea about a question, so picks the best looking answer,which is often wrong. The monkey has no idea what looks good and whatdoesnt, so will consistently be lucky about 20-25% of the time.2. Students will eliminate answer choices from the guessing pool based on ahunch or intuition. Simple but correct answers often get excluded, leaving a0% chance of being correct. The monkey has no clue, and often gets luckywith the best choice.This is why the process of elimination endorsed by most test courses is flawedand detrimental to your performance- students dont guess, they make anignorant stab in the dark that is usually worse than random.5Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Success Strategy #2Let me introduce one of the most valuable ideas of this course- the $5 challenge:You only mark your best guess if you are willing to bet $5 on it.You only eliminate choices from guessing if you are willing to bet $5 on it.Why $5? Five dollars is an amount of money that is small yet not insignificant,and can really add up fast (20 questions could cost you $100). Likewise, eachanswer choice on one question of the IELTS will have a small impact on youroverall score, but it can really add up to a lot of points in the end.The process of elimination IS valuable. The following shows your chance ofguessing it right:If you eliminate this many choices on a3 choice multiple choice problem:0 1 2Chance of getting it correct 33% 50% 100%However, if you accidentally eliminate the right answer or go on a hunch for anincorrect answer, your chances drop dramatically: to 0%. By guessing among allthe answer choices, you are GUARANTEED to have a shot at the right answer.Thats why the $5 test is so valuable- if you give up the advantage and safety ofa pure guess, it had better be worth the risk.What we still havent covered is how to be sure that whatever guess you make istruly random. Heres the easiest way:Always pick the first answer choice among those remaining.Such a technique means that you have decided, before you see a single testquestion, exactly how you are going to guess- and since the order of choices6Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.tells you nothing about which one is correct, this guessing technique is perfectlyrandom.Lets try an example-A student encounters the following problem on the Listening Module in aconversation about the chemical term amine, a derivative of ammonia:In the reaction, the amine will be?A. neutralizedB. protonatedC. deprotonatedThe student has a small idea about this question- he is pretty sure that the aminewill be deprotonated, but he wouldnt bet $5 on it. He knows that the amine iseither protonated or deprotoned, so he is willing to bet $5 on choice A not beingcorrect. Now he is down to B and C. At this point, he guesses B, since B is thefirst choice remaining.The student is correct by choosing B, since the amine will be protonated. Heonly eliminated those choices he was willing to bet money on, AND he did not lethis stale memories (often things not known definitely will get mixed up in theexact opposite arrangement in ones head) about protonation and deprotonationinfluence his guess. He blindly chose the first remaining choice, and wasrewarded with the fruits of a random guess.This section is not meant to scare you away from making educated guesses oreliminating choices- you just need to define when a choice is worth eliminating.The $5 test, along with a pre-defined random guessing strategy, is the best wayto make sure you reap all of the benefits of guessing.7Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Specific Guessing TechniquesSlangScientific sounding answers are better than slang ones. In the answer choicesbelow, choice B is much less scientific and is incorrect, while choice A is ascientific analytical choice and is correct.Example:A.) To compare the outcomes of the two different kinds of treatment.B.) Because some subjects insisted on getting one or the other of the treatments.Extreme StatementsAvoid wild answers that throw out highly controversial ideas that are proclaimedas established fact. Choice A is a radical idea and is incorrect. Choice B is acalm rational statement. Notice that Choice B does not make a definitive,uncompromising stance, using a hedge word if to provide wiggle room.Example:A.) Bypass surgery should be discontinued completely.B.) Medication should be used instead of surgery for patients who have not had aheart attack if they suffer from mild chest pain and mild coronary artery blockage.Similar Answer ChoicesWhen you have two answer choices that are direct opposites, one of them isusually the correct answer.Example:A.) described the authors reasoning about the influence of his childhood on hisadult life.B.) described the authors reasoning about the influence of his parents on hisadult life.8Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.These two answer choices are very similar and fall into the same family ofanswer choices. A family of answer choices is when two or three answer choicesare very similar. Often two will be opposites and one may show an equality.Example:A.) Plan I or Plan II can be conducted at equal costB.) Plan I would be less expensive than Plan IIC.) Plan II would be less expensive than Plan ID.) Neither Plan I nor Plan II would be effectiveNote how the first three choices are all related. They all ask about a costcomparison. Beware of immediately recognizing choices B and C as oppositesand choosing one of those two. Choice A is in the same family of questions andshould be considered as well. However, choice D is not in the same family ofquestions. It has nothing to do with cost and can be discounted in most cases.HedgingWhen asked for a conclusion that may be drawn, look for critical hedgephrases, such as likely, may, can, will often, sometimes, etc, often, almost,mostly, usually, generally, rarely, sometimes. Question writers insert thesehedge phrases to cover every possibility. Often an answer will be wrong simplybecause it leaves no room for exception. Avoid answer choices that havedefinitive words like exactly, and always.Summary of Guessing Techniques1. Eliminate as many choices as you can by using the $5 test. Use the commonguessing strategies to help in the elimination process, but only eliminatechoices that pass the $5 test.2. Among the remaining choices, only pick your best guess if it passes the $5test.3. Otherwise, guess randomly by picking the first remaining choice.9Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Secret Key #3 Practice Smarter, Not HarderMany students delay the test preparation process because they dread the awfulamounts of practice time they think necessary to succeed on the test. We haverefined an effective method that will take you only a fraction of the time.There are a number of obstacles in your way on the IELTS. Among these areanswering questions, finishing in time, and mastering test-taking strategies. Allmust be executed on the day of the test at peak performance, or your score willsuffer. The IELTS is a mental marathon that has a large impact on your future.Just like a marathon runner, it is important to work your way up to the fullchallenge. So first you just worry about questions, and then time, and finallystrategy:Success Strategy #31. Find a good source for IELTS practice tests. These must be OFFICIALIELTS tests, or they will be of little use. The best source for these isofficial practice tests from IELTS. A link to a source of official practicetests is included in the appendix.2. If you are willing to make a larger time investment (or if you want to reallylearn the material, a time consuming but ultimately valuable endeavor),consider buying one of the better study guides on the market. Again, doNOT use their practice tests, just the study guide.3. Take a practice test with no time constraints, with all study helps openbook. Take your time with questions and focus on applying thestrategies.4. Take another test, this time with time constraints, with all study helpsopen book.5. Take a final practice test with no open material and time limits.10Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.If you have time to take more practice tests, just repeat step 5. By graduallyexposing yourself to the full rigors of the test environment, you will conditionyour mind to the stress of test day and maximize your success.11Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Secret Key #4 Prepare, Dont ProcrastinateLet me state an obvious fact: if you take the IELTS three times, you will get threedifferent scores. This is due to the way you feel on test day, the level ofpreparedness you have, and, despite IELTSs claims to the contrary, some testsWILL be easier for you than others.Since so much depends on your score, you should maximize your chances ofsuccess. In order to maximize the likelihood of success, youve got to prepare inadvance. This means taking official practice tests and spending time learning theinformation and test taking strategies you will need to succeed.You can always retake the test more than once, but remember that you will haveto wait a minimum of three months before retaking the test. Dont get into asituation where you need a higher score and cant afford to wait, so dont take theIELTS as a practice test. Feel free to take sample tests on your own, but whenyou go to take the IELTS, be prepared, be focused, and do your best the firsttime!12Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.The Listening ModuleThe Listening module of the IELTS consists of a total of 40 questions.There are four sections:1. Social Needs Conversation between two speakers2. Social Needs Speech by one speaker3. Educational or Training Conversation between up to four speakers4. Educational or Training Speech by one speakerMain IdeasImportant words and main ideas in conversation are ones that will come up againand again. Listen carefully for any word or words that come up repeatedly. Whatwords come up in nearly every statement made? These words with highfrequency are likely to be in the main idea of the conversation. For example, in aconversation about class size in the business department of a college, the termclass size is likely to appear in nearly every statement made by either speakerin the discussion.Voice ChangesIELTS expects you to be able to recognize and interpret nuances of speech. Beon the alert for any changes in voice, which might register surprise, excitement,or another emotion. If a speaker is talking in a normal monotone voice andsuddenly raises their voice to a high pitch, that is a huge clue that somethingcritical is being stated. Listen for a speaker to change their voice and understandthe meaning of what they are saying.Example:Man: Lets go to Wal-mart.Woman: Theres a Wal-mart in this small town?If the womans statement was higher pitched, indicating surprise and shock, thenshe probably did not expect there to be a Wal-mart in that town.13Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.SpecificsListen carefully for specific pieces of information. Adjectives are commonlyasked about in IELTS questions. Try to remember any main adjectives that arementioned. Pick out adjectives such as numbers, colors, or sizes.Example:Man: Lets go to the store and get some apples to make the pie.Woman: How many do we need?Man: Well need five apples to make the pie.A typical question might be about how many apples were needed.InterpretAs you are listening to the conversation, put yourself in the persons shoes.Think about why someone would make a statement. Youll need to do more thanjust regurgitate the spoken words but also interpret them.Example:Woman: I think Im sick with the flu.Man: Why dont you go see the campus doctor?Sample Question: Why did the man mention the campus doctor?Answer: The campus doctor would be able to determine if the woman had the flu.Find the Hidden MeaningLook for the meaning behind a statement. When a speaker answers a questionwith a statement that doesnt immediately seem to answer the question, theresponse probably contained a hidden meaning that you will need to recognizeand explain.Man: Are you going to be ready for your presentation?Woman: Ive only got half of it finished and its taken me five hours just to do thismuch. Theres only an hour left before the presentation is due.14Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.At first, the woman did not seem to answer the question the man presented. Sheresponded with a statement that only seemed loosely related. Once you lookdeeper, then you can find the true meaning of what she said. If it took thewoman five hours to do the first half of the presentation, then it would logicallytake her another five hours to do the second half. Since she only has one houruntil her presentation is due, she would probably NOT be able to be ready for thepresentation. So, while an answer was not immediately visible to the mansquestion, when you applied some logic to her response, you could find thehidden meaning beneath.Memory EnhancersYou have scratch paper provided to you while taking the test. This can be ahuge help. While you listen, you are free to make notes. If different people aretalking, use short hand to describe the main characteristics of each speaker. Asyou hear main adjectives that you think might be hard to remember, jot themdown quickly in order that you can refer to them later during the question stage.Use your notes to help you remember those hard to remember facts. Dont endyour test without making use of your scratch paper ally.Example:Speaker 1: Im Bob Thomas, and Im majoring in business development.Speaker 2: Im Matt Smith, and Im majoring in chemical engineering.Speaker 3: Im John Douglass, and Im majoring in speech therapy.Your short hand might read:Bob Bus.Matt Chem. EJohn Sp. Th.On subsequent questions about the characters, youll be able to remember thesebasic facts and answer more accurately. However, dont spend so much time15Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.making notes that you miss something on the tape. You wont be able to rewindit and catch what you miss. The idea is that the notes should only supplementyour memory, not replace it.16Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.The Reading ModuleThe Reading module of the IELTS consists of a total of 40 questions.There are three passages, with a total of 2,000 to 2,750 words.SkimmingYour first task when you begin reading is to answer the question What is thetopic of the selection? This can best be answered by quickly skimming thepassage for the general idea, stopping to read only the first sentence of eachparagraph. A paragraphs first sentence is usually the main topic sentence, and itgives you a summary of the content of the paragraph.Once youve skimmed the passage, stopping to read only the first sentences, youwill have a general idea about what it is about, as well as what is the expectedtopic in each paragraph.Each question will contain clues as to where to find the answer in the passage.Do not just randomly search through the passage for the correct answer to eachquestion. Search scientifically. Find key word(s) or ideas in the question that aregoing to either contain or be near the correct answer. These are typically nouns,verbs, numbers, or phrases in the question that will probably be duplicated in thepassage. Once you have identified those key word(s) or idea, skim the passagequickly to find where those key word(s) or idea appears. The correct answerchoice will be nearby.Example: What caused Martin to suddenly return to Paris?The key word is Paris. Skim the passage quickly to find where this wordappears. The answer will be close by that word.17Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.However, sometimes key words in the question are not repeated in the passage.In those cases, search for the general idea of the question.Example: Which of the following was the psychological impact of the authorschildhood upon the remainder of his life?Key words are childhood or psychology. While searching for those words, bealert for other words or phrases that have similar meaning, such as emotionaleffect or mentally which could be used in the passage, rather than the exactword psychology.Numbers or years can be particularly good key words to skim for, as they standout from the rest of the text.Example: Which of the following best describes the influence of Monets work inthe 20th century?20th contains numbers and will easily stand out from the rest of the text. Use20th as the key word to skim for in the passage.Once youve quickly found the correct section of the passage to find the answer,focus upon the answer choices. Sometimes a choice will repeat word for word aportion of the passage near the answer. However, beware of such duplication it may be a trap! More than likely, the correct choice will paraphrase orsummarize the related portion of the passage, rather than being exactly the samewording.For the answers that you think are correct, read them carefully and make surethat they answer the question. An answer can be factually correct, but it MUSTanswer the question asked. Additionally, two answers can both be seemingly18Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.correct, so be sure to read all of the answer choices, and make sure that you getthe one that BEST answers the question.Some questions will not have a key word.Example: Which of the following would the author of this passage likely agreewith?In these cases, look for key words in the answer choices. Then skim thepassage to find where the answer choice occurs. By skimming to find where tolook, you can minimize the time required.Sometimes it may be difficult to identify a good key word in the question to skimfor in the passage. In those cases, look for a key word in one of the answerchoices to skim for. Often the answer choices can all be found in the sameparagraph, which can quickly narrow your search.Paragraph FocusFocus upon the first sentence of each paragraph, which is the most important.The main topic of the paragraph is usually there.Once youve read the first sentence in the paragraph, you have a general ideaabout what each paragraph will be about. As you read the questions, try todetermine which paragraph will have the answer. Paragraphs have a concisetopic. The answer should either obviously be there or obviously not. It will savetime if you can jump straight to the paragraph, so try to remember what youlearned from the first sentences.Example: The first paragraph is about poets; the second is about poetry. If aquestion asks about poetry, where will the answer be? The second paragraph.19Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.The main idea of a passage is typically spread across all or most of itsparagraphs. Whereas the main idea of a paragraph may be completely differentthan the main idea of the very next paragraph, a main idea for a passage affectsall of the paragraphs in one form or another.Example: What is the main idea of the passage?For each answer choice, try to see how many paragraphs are related. It can helpto count how many sentences are affected by each choice, but it is best to seehow many paragraphs are affected by the choice. Typically the answer choiceswill include incorrect choices that are main ideas of individual paragraphs, but notthe entire passage. That is why it is crucial to choose ideas that are supportedby the most paragraphs possible.Eliminate ChoicesSome choices can quickly be eliminated. Andy Warhol lived there. Is AndyWarhol even mentioned in the article? If not, quickly eliminate it.When trying to answer a question such as the passage indicates all of thefollowing EXCEPT quickly skim the paragraph searching for references to eachchoice. If the reference exists, scratch it off as a choice. Similar choices may becrossed off simultaneously if they are close enough.In choices that ask you to choose which answer choice does NOT describe? orall of the following answer choices are identifiable characteristics, EXCEPTwhich? look for answers that are similarly worded. Since only one answer canbe correct, if there are two answers that appear to mean the same thing, theymust BOTH be incorrect, and can be eliminated.Example:A.) changing values and attitudesB.) a large population of mobile or uprooted people20Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.These answer choices are similar; they both describe a fluid culture. Because oftheir similarity, they can be linked together. Since the answer can have only onechoice, they can also be eliminated together.Contextual CluesLook for contextual clues. An answer can be right but not correct. Thecontextual clues will help you find the answer that is most right and is correct.Understand the context in which a phrase is stated.When asked for the implied meaning of a statement made in the passage,immediately go find the statement and read the context it was made in. Also,look for an answer choice that has a similar phrase to the statement in question.Example: In the passage, what is implied by the phrase Churches have becomemore or less part of the furniture?Find an answer choice that is similar or describes the phrase part of thefurniture as that is the key phrase in the question. Part of the furniture is asaying that means something is fixed, immovable, or set in their ways. Thoseare all similar ways of saying part of the furniture. As such, the correct answerchoice will probably include a similar rewording of the expression.Example: Why was John described as morally desperate.The answer will probably have some sort of definition of morals in it. Moralsrefers to a code of right and wrong behavior, so the correct answer choice willlikely have words that mean something like that.Fact/OpinionWhen asked about which statement is a fact or opinion, remember that answerchoices that are facts will typically have no ambiguous words. For example, howlong is a long time? What defines an ordinary person? These ambiguous words21Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.of long and ordinary should not be in a factual statement. However, if all ofthe choices have ambiguous words, go to the context of the passage. Often afactual statement may be set out as a research finding.Example: The scientist found that the eye reacts quickly to change in light.Opinions may be set out in the context of words like thought, believed,understood, or wished.Example: He thought the Yankees should win the World Series.OppositesAnswer choices that are direct opposites are usually correct. The paragraph willoften contain established relationships (when this goes up, that goes down). Thequestion may ask you to draw conclusions for this and will give two similaranswer choices that are opposites.Example:A.) if other factors are held constant, then increasing the interest rate will lead toa decrease in housing startsB.) if other factors are held constant, then increasing the interest rate will lead toan increase in housing startsOften these opposites will not be so clearly recognized. Dont be thrown off bydifferent wording, look for the meaning beneath. Notice how these two answerchoices are really opposites, with just a slight change in the wording shownabove. Once you realize these are opposites, you should examine them closely.One of these two is likely to be the correct answer.Example:A.) if other factors are held constant, then increasing the interest rate will lead toa decrease in housing startsB.) when there is an increase in housing starts, and other things remaining equal,it is often the result of an increase in interest rates22Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Make PredictionsAs you read and understand the passage and then the question, try to guesswhat the answer will be. Remember that most of the answer choices are wrong,and once you being reading them, your mind will immediately become clutteredwith answer choices designed to throw you off. Your mind is typically the mostfocused immediately after you have read the passage and question and digestedits contents. If you can, try to predict what the correct answer will be. You maybe surprised at what you can predict.Quickly scan the choices and see if your prediction is in the listed answerchoices. If it is, then you can be quite confident that you have the right answer.It still wont hurt to check the other answer choices, but most of the time, youvegot it!Answer the QuestionIt may seem obvious to only pick answer choices that answer the question, butIELTS can create some excellent answer choices that are wrong. Dont pick ananswer just because it sounds right, or you believe it to be true. It MUST answerthe question. Once youve made your selection, always go back and check itagainst the question and make sure that you didnt misread the question, and theanswer choice does answer the question posed.BenchmarkAfter you read the first answer choice, decide if you think it sounds correct or not.If it doesnt, move on to the next answer choice. If it does, make a mental noteabout that choice. This doesnt mean that youve definitely selected it as youranswer choice, it just means that its the best youve seen thus far. Go aheadand read the next choice. If the next choice is worse than the one youve alreadyselected, keep going to the next answer choice. If the next choice is better thanthe choice youve already selected, then make a mental note about that answerchoice.23Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.As you read through the list, you are mentally noting the choice you think is right.That is your new standard. Every other answer choice must be benchmarkedagainst that standard. That choice is correct until proven otherwise by anotheranswer choice beating it out. Once youve decided that no other answer choiceseems as good, do one final check to ensure that it answers the question posed.New InformationCorrect answers will usually contain the information listed in the paragraph andquestion. Rarely will completely new information be inserted into a correctanswer choice. Occasionally the new information may be related in a mannerthan IELTS is asking for you to interpret, but seldom.Example:The argument above is dependent upon which of the following assumptions?A.) Scientists have used Charless Law to interpret the relationship.If Charless Law is not mentioned at all in the referenced paragraph andargument, then it is unlikely that this choice is correct. All of the informationneeded to answer the question is provided for you, and so you should not haveto make guesses that are unsupported or choose answer choices that haveunknown information that cannot be reasoned.Key WordsLook for answer choices that have the same key words in them as the question.Example:Which of the following, if true, would best explain the reluctance of politicianssince 1980 to support this funding?Look for the key words since 1980 to be referenced in the correct answerchoice. Most valid answer choices would probably include a phrase such assince 1980, politicians have...24Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Valid InformationDont discount any of the information provided in the passage, particularly shorterones. Every piece of information may be necessary to determine the correctanswer. None of the information in the passage is there to throw you off (whilethe answer choices will certainly have information to throw you off). If twoseemingly unrelated topics are discussed, dont ignore either. You can beconfident there is a relationship, or it wouldnt be included in the passage, andyou are probably going to have to determine what is that relationship for theanswer.Time ManagementIn technical passages, do not get lost on the technical terms. Skip them andmove on. You want a general understanding of what is going on, not a masteryof the passage.When you encounter material in the selection that seems difficult to understand,it often may not be necessary and can be skipped. Only spend time trying tounderstand it if it is going to be relevant for a question. Understand difficultphrases only as a last resort.Identify each question by type. Usually the wording of a question will tell youwhether you can find the answer by referring directly to the passage or by usingyour reasoning powers. You alone know which question types you customarilyhandle with ease and which give you trouble and will require more time.Final WarningsHedge Phrases RevisitedOnce again, watch out for critical hedge phrases, such as likely, may, can, willoften, sometimes, etc, often, almost, mostly, usually, generally, rarely,sometimes. Question writers insert these hedge phrases, to cover every25Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.possibility. Often an answer will be wrong simply because it leaves no room forexception.Example: Animals live longer in cold places than animals in warm places.This answer choice is wrong, because there are exceptions in which certainwarm climate animals live longer. This answer choice leaves no possibility ofexception. It states that every animal species in cold places live longer thananimal species in warm places. Correct answer choices will typically have a keyhedge word to leave room for exceptions.Example: In severe cold, a polar bear cub is likely to survive longer than an adultpolar bear.This answer choice is correct, because not only does the passage imply thatyounger animals survive better in the cold, it also allows for exceptions to exist.The use of the word likely leaves room for cases in which a polar bear cubmight not survive longer than the adult polar bear.Word Usage QuestionsWhen asked how a word is used in the passage, dont use your existingknowledge of the word. The question is being asked precisely because there issome strange or unusual usage of the word in the passage. Go to the passageand use contextual clues to determine the answer. Dont simply use the populardefinition you already know.Switchback WordsStay alert for switchbacks. These are the words and phrases frequently used toalert you to shifts in thought. The most common switchback word is but.Others include although, however, nevertheless, on the other hand, even though,while, in spite of, despite, regardless of.26Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Avoid Fact TrapsOnce you know which paragraph the answer will be in, focus on that paragraph.However, dont get distracted by a choice that is factually true about theparagraph. Your search is for the answer that answers the question, which maybe about a tiny aspect in the paragraph. Stay focused and dont fall for ananswer that describes the larger picture of the paragraph. Always go back to thequestion and make sure youre choosing an answer that actually answers thequestion and is not just a true statement.27Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.The Writing ModuleThe Writing module of the IELTS consists of a 60 minute module with two tasks.Task 1: A diagram or table will be presented to you and you must write outapproximately a 150 word discussion on it within approximately 20 minutes. Youmust evaluate the diagram or table, organize your ideas, and develop them into acohesive and coherent explanation.Task 2: A topic will be presented to you and you must write out approximately a250 word discussion on it within approximately 40 minutes. There is not acorrect answer to the topic. You must evaluate the topic, organize your ideas,and develop them into a cohesive and coherent response.You will be scored on how well you are able to utilize standard written English,organize and explain your thoughts, and support those thoughts with reasonsand examples.BrainstormSpend the first three to five minutes brainstorming out ideas. Write down anyideas you might have on the topic or table. The purpose is to extract from therecesses of your memory any relevant information. In this stage, anything goesdown. Write down any idea, regardless of how good it may initially seem. Youcan use either the scratch paper provided or the word processor to quickly jotdown your thoughts and ideas. The word processor is highly recommendedthough, particularly if you are a fast typist.Strength through DiversityThe best papers will contain diversity of examples and reasoning. As youbrainstorm consider different perspectives. Not only are there two sides to everyissue, but there are also countless perspectives that can be considered. On any28Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.issue, different groups are impacted, with many reaching the same conclusion orposition, but through vastly different paths. Try to see the issue through asmany different eyes as you can. Look at it from every angle and from everyvantage point. The more diverse the reasoning used, the more balanced thepaper will become and the better the score.Example:The issue of free trade is not just two sided. It impacts politicians, domestic (US)manufacturers, foreign manufacturers, the US economy, the world economy,strategic alliances, retailers, wholesalers, consumers, unions, workers, and theexchange of more than just goods, but also of ideas, beliefs, and cultures. Themore of these angles that you can approach the issue from, the more solid yourreasoning and the stronger your position.Furthermore, dont just use information as to how the issue impacts other people.Draw liberally from your own experience and your own observations. Explain apersonal experience that you have had and your own emotions from thatmoment. Anything that youve seen in your community or observed in societycan be expanded upon to further round out your position on the issue.Pick a Main IdeaOnce you have finished with your creative flow, stop and review it. Which ideawere you able to come up with the most supporting information? Its extremelyimportant that you pick an angle that will allow you to have a thorough andcomprehensive coverage of the topic or table. This is not about your personalconvictions, but about writing a concise rational discussion of an idea.Weed the GardenEvery garden of ideas gets weeds in it. The ideas that you brainstormed overare going to be random pieces of information of mixed value. Go through itmethodically and pick out the ones that are the best. The best ideas are strongpoints that it will be easy to write a few sentences or a paragraph about.29Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Create a Logical FlowNow that you know which ideas you are going to use and focus upon, organizethem. Put your writing points in a logical order. You have your main ideas thatyou will focus on, and must align them in a sequence that will flow in a smooth,sensible path from point to point, so that the reader will go smoothly from oneidea to the next in a logical path. Readers must have a sense of continuity asthey read your paper. You dont want to have a paper that rambles back andforth.Start Your EnginesYou have a logical flow of main ideas with which to start writing. Beginexpanding on the issues in the sequence that you have set for yourself. Paceyourself. Dont spend too much time on any one of the ideas that you areexpanding upon. You want to have time for all of them. Make sure you watchyour time. If you have twenty minutes left to write out your ideas and you haveten ideas, then you can only use two minutes per idea. It can be a daunting taskto cram a lot of information down in words in a short amount of time, but if youpace yourself, you can get through it all. If you find that you are falling behind,speed up. Move through each idea more quickly, spending less time to expandupon the idea in order to catch back up.Once you finish expanding on each idea, go back to your brainstorming sessionup above, where you wrote out your ideas. Go ahead and erase the ideas asyou write about them. This will let you see what you need to write about next,and also allow you to pace yourself and see what you have left to cover.First ParagraphYour first paragraph should have several easily identifiable features.First, it should have a quick description or paraphrasing of the topic or table. Useyour own words to briefly explain what the topic or table is about.30Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Second, you should explain your opinion of the topic or table and give anexplanation of why you feel that way. What is your decision or conclusion on thetopic or table?Third, you should list your writing points. What are the main ideas that youcame up with earlier? This is your opportunity to outline the rest of your paper.Have a sentence explaining each idea that you will go intend further depth inadditional paragraphs. If someone was to only read this paragraph, they shouldbe able to get an executive summary of the entire paper.Body ParagraphEach of your successive paragraphs should expand upon one of the points listedin the main paragraph. Use your personal experience and knowledge to supporteach of your points. Examples should back up everything.Conclusion ParagraphOnce you have finished expanding upon each of your main points, wrap it up.Summarize what you have said and covered in a conclusion paragraph. Explainonce more your opinion of the topic or table and quickly review why you feel thatway. At this stage, you have already backed up your statements, so there is noneed to do that again. All you are doing is refreshing in the mind of the readerthe main points that you have made.Dont PanicPanicking will not put down any more words on paper for you. Therefore, it isnthelpful. When you first see the topic or table, if your mind goes as blank as thepage on which you have to write your paper, take a deep breath. Force yourselfto mechanically go through the steps listed above.Secondly, dont get clock fever. Its easy to be overwhelmed when youre lookingat a page that doesnt seem to have much text, there is a lot of blank spacefurther down, your mind is full of random thoughts and feeling confused, and theclock is ticking down faster than you would like. You brainstormed first so that31Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.you dont have to keep coming up with ideas. If youre running out of time andyou have a lot of ideas that you havent expanded upon, dont be afraid to makesome cuts. Start picking the best ideas that you have left and expand on thosefew. Dont feel like you have to write down and expand all of your ideas.Check Your WorkIt is more important to have a shorter paper that is well written and wellorganized, than a longer paper that is poorly written and poorly organized.Remember though that you will be penalized for answers shorter than therequired minimum limit. Dont keep writing about a subject just to add words andsentences, and certainly dont start repeating yourself. Expand on the ideas thatyou identified in the brainstorming session and make sure that you save yourselfa few minutes at the end to go back and check your work.Leave time at the end, at least three minutes, to go back and check over yourwork. Reread and make sure that everything youve written makes sense andflows. Clean up any spelling or grammar mistakes that you might have made. Ifyou see anything that needs to be moved around, such as a paragraph thatwould fit in better somewhere else, cut and paste it to that new location. Also, goahead and erase any brainstorming ideas that you werent able to expand uponand clean up any other extraneous information that you might have written thatdoesnt fit into your paper.As you proofread, make sure there arent any fragments or run-ons. Check forsentences that are too short or too long. If the sentence is too short, look to seeif you have an identifiable subject and verb. If it is too long, break it up into twoseparate sentences. Watch out for any big words you may have used. Itsgood to use difficult vocabulary words, but only if you are positive that you areusing them correctly. Your paper has to be correct, it doesnt have to be fancy.Youre not trying to impress anyone with your vocabulary, just your ability todevelop and express ideas.32Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Shortcut KeysIf youre taking the IELTS on the computer, spend some time on your keyboardgetting familiar with the shortcut keys to cut, copy, and paste. It will help you toquickly move text around on your paper. First highlight the text you wish to moveor copy and then type:Ctrl+C = copyCtrl+X = cutCtrl+V = pasteYou must hold down the ctrl key and then tap the c, x, or v key to performthe desired function.Final NoteDepending on your test taking preferences and personality, the essay writing willprobably be your hardest or your easiest section. You are required to go throughthe entire process of writing a paper very quickly, which can be quite a challenge.Focus upon each of the steps listed above. Go through the process of creativeflow first, generating ideas and thoughts about the topic or table. Then organizethose ideas into a smooth logical flow. Pick out the ones that are best from thelist you have created. Decide which main idea or angle of the topic or table youwill discuss.Create a recognizable structure in your paper, with an introductory paragraphexplaining what you have decided upon, and what your main points will be. Usethe body paragraphs to expand on those main points and have a conclusion thatwraps up the topic or table.Save a few moments to go back and review what you have written. Clean upany minor mistakes that you might have had and give it those last few critical33Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.touches that can make a huge difference. Finally, be proud and confident ofwhat you have written!34Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.The Speaking ModuleThe Speaking Module of the IELTS consists of a 60 minute module with threeparts.Part 1You will need to answer general questions about yourself, your homes/families,your jobs/studies, your interests, and a range of familiar topic areas in four to fiveminutes.Part 2You will be given a verbal prompt on a card and asked to speak about aparticular topic (listed on the card). You will have one minute to prepare beforespeaking at length, and will need to speak between one and two minutes. Thenthe examiner will ask you one or two follow up questions.Part 3You and the examiner will engage in a discussion of more abstract concepts andissues which will be linked to the topic you discussed in Part 2. The discussionwill last between four and five minutes.You will be scored on how well you are able to communicate effectively inEnglish.Of all the test modules on IELTS, this is the easiest to prepare for. This is thetest module that you can practice anywhere, in your car, in your room, on thephone, by yourself or with someone else. After you successfully pass IELTS,you will be speaking English a lot, so you might as well prepare by speaking it atevery opportunity beforehand.35Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Exhausting the PossibilitiesPart 1 will ask basic questions. There are only so many possible basic questionsthat can be asked about someone. You can easily be prepared for everypossibility. Go through and write down all the possibilities and a good answer foreach. When youre asked about your family, dont have to struggle to come upwith descriptions for your family members. Practice ahead of time and knowwhat youre going to say. Right now as youre reading this, stop and take aminute to answer each of these following questions. If you were asked these inan interview, what would you say?1. Please describe yourself.2. Please describe your family.3. Please describe your home.4. Please describe some of your interests.5. Please describe your job.6. Please describe your studiesThis is important practice. Make sure that you can spend a minute or soanswering each of these questions without having to take time to think of a goodresponse. These are basic questions and you should have your basic answersready.Tell a StoryMovie making is a multi-billion dollar industry. Why? Its because everyone likesto hear a good story, and the best movies contain great stories. The SpeakingModule interview can be a big aggravation for both sides. Usually, it is tense,uncomfortable, and boring for both the interviewer and the test taker.Think about your favorite relatives. In many cases, they are your favoritebecause they are such raconteurs, or good storytellers. These are your auntsand uncles that can turn a simple trip to the grocery store into high adventure andwill keep you captivated and entertained. Even if youre not a natural storyteller,36Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.with a little thought and practice, even you can turn your dull past experiencesinto exciting exploits.Stories are your strongest weapon for captivating the interviewer anddemonstrating your mastery of speaking English. The questions in Part 2 of theSpeaking Module literally beg for stories to be told. These need to be compellingstories, real time drama, and youre the hero. You want the interviewer beggingfor more, asking follow-up questions, eager to hear how it ends. Once you begina quick exciting story, you set the tone of the interview, and you will determinewhat will be the follow-up questions.The easiest way to prepare for these Part 2 questions is to scour your memoryfor any exciting instance in your past. Perhaps where you played a leadershiprole or accomplished a goal. These can be from any part of your past, duringyour education, at home with your family, projects at work, or anything that youmight have had a part in. Identify the main characteristics of the story, you wantto have things straight. Make sure you know the basics of what happened, whowas involved, why it occurred, and how the events unfolded sequentially. Youcertainly dont want to stumble over the facts and repeat yourself during theinterview.One Size Fits AllThese basic stories are building blocks. Just as a piece of lumber can be cut intomany different shapes and have many completely unique uses, each of yourstories does not only answer one unique question. Your stories are one size fitsall. With practice you will find that you can use the same story to answer twoseemingly unrelated questions.For example, a question about teamwork and working under pressure can bothbe answered by a story about your experience playing intramural basketball.The story could describe how you had to work as a team in order to get into the37Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.playoffs, spending time practicing together, coordinating plays, whatever wasnecessary for the team to advance. Alternatively, the story could focus upon theclutch shots that you made that season in order to win the game in the last fewseconds of play under enormous pressure. The basic story is the same: yourexperiences playing basketball.The questions were different, but you customized the story to fit the question.With practice you should be able to answer almost any question with just a fewstock stories that can be customized.Find the BridgesSome questions will lend themselves more readily to a story than others. Youmust have a set of basic stories ready that can be modified to fit the occasion.You must find the bridges in the questions offered to make sure your stories gettold.In WWII, the US Army used Bailey bridges. Bailey bridges were bridges made ofprefabricated steel sections that were carried around and could be throwntogether at a moments notice, allowing the army to move quickly across anyobstacle and get to where they wanted to go.You need to find bridges, i.e. opportunities to tell your stories. Look for anychance to turn a standard question about anything, into a bridge to begin tellingyour story. For example, What is your job title?On the surface that might not seem like the ideal bridge, but with a little insightyour response might become:My job title is Product Line Manager. I was responsible for everything from thedevelopment of new products, to the obsolescence of old products. Marketing,sales, engineering, and production of the entire product line fell under my38Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.responsibility. One of the products was even my own idea based on feedback Ireceived from my interactions with our customers. In the first year, it alone hadachieved a sales level of overThe key to remember is that just because a question is asked as a closed endedquestion (yes/no, or one word answers), doesnt mean that you have to answer itas a closed ended question. Answer the question asked, but then find a way todevelop your answer and a bridge to a good story of yours. With an open mind,the most closed ended of questions can become a launch pad into a story.Pregnant PauseA good story can usually wind its way down a long path. There is always adanger that you will begin to bore the interviewer, who may wonder if an end is insight. Some interviewers may get worried that they wont be able to get throughthe fifteen questions on their list during the allotted time. Therefore, find naturalbreaks in your story and pause for a second. If the interviewer maintains eyecontact or asks continuation questions, then keep going. But this will give them achance to stop the story and ask a different question if they are getting bored andwant to move on.Taking the Final StepBy trying to answer each of your Part 2 questions with a basic story, you will beable to transition nicely into the final step, Part 3. Part 3 questions are basedupon your answers to Part 2 questions and will be asked at the interviewersdiscretion. By using the story techniques listed above, you will have alreadydetermined the path that the interviewer will take with his follow-up Part 3questions. The interviewer will naturally ask questions that tie into your story andyou will already be prepared for those questions and will ace Part 3 as easily asthe others.39Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Practice Makes PerfectDont try to answer every question by shooting from the hip. Youll spend most ofyour time trying to think of what happened and repeating yourself. Think of theclassic stories that you could tell and then practice going over them with yourfriends, explaining how you successfully achieved the goal, or took charge andgave leadership to your group project. You dont want to have the storymemorized, because it will become stale in the telling, but you want it to besmooth. This story must be live and in living color, where the interviewer can seehimself taking part on the sidelines and watching the situation take place. Haveyour friends and family members quiz you by asking you random questions andsee how well you can adapt to the question and give a lucid response.40Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Special Report: How Your IELTS Score is Viewed, andWhat This Means for YouFor your IELTS score, you will be grouped in one of nine bands.If you are on the upper edge of one of these bands, it is definitely profitable towork your way into the next one by studying and practicing.Band Description Meaning9 Expert User Fluent with complete understanding8 Very Good User Full operational command, occasional inaccuracies7 Good User Operational command, occasional inaccuracies6 Competent User Effective command, inaccuracies5 Modest User Partial command, many mistakes4 Limited User Limited command, frequent problems3 Extremely Limited User Only general understanding2 Intermittent User Only basic understanding with difficulty1 Non User No language ability0 Did Not Take Test N/A41Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Special Report: What Jobs Require Which IELTS ScoresBelow is a list of different jobs and what each IELTS score band means to thatoccupation. If you have a lower IELTS score, you might want to consider eitherstudying more and trying to increase your score, or a less linguisticallydemanding position.Linguisticallydemandingacademic coursesLinguistically lessdemanding academiccoursesLinguisticallydemanding trainingcoursesLinguistically lessdemanding trainingcoursesBand(Medicine, Law,Linguistics,Journalism, LibraryStudies)(Agriculture, PureMathematics,Technology,Computer-basedwork,Telecommunications)(Air Traffic Control,Engineering, PureApplied Sciences,Industrial Safety)(Animal Husbandry,Catering, FireServices)9.0-7.5 Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable7.0ProbablyAcceptable Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable6.5English StudyNeeded Probably Acceptable Acceptable Acceptable6.0English StudyNeededEnglish StudyNeededProbablyAcceptable Acceptable5.5English StudyNeededEnglish StudyNeededEnglish StudyNeededProbablyAcceptable42Copyright 2002 by MO Media. You have been licensed one copy of this document for personal use only. Anyother reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.Special Report: Which IELTS Study Guides and PracticeTests Are Worth Your TimeWe believe the following guides present uncommon value to our customers whowish to really study for the IELTS. While our manual teaches some valuabletricks and tips that no one else covers, learning the basic coursework tested onthe IELTS is also helpful, though more time consuming.Practice TestsIELTS Practice Testshttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521497671/actsecrets-20(Click above to order)This is the ONLY source for REAL IELTS tests. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED onlyfor the practice tests- disregard their advice.Study GuideCambridge IELTS 3http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521013364/actsecrets-20Cabridge IELTS 3 is THE best comprehensive coursework guide to the IELTS. Ifyou want to spend a couple months in preparation to squeeze every last drop outof your score, buy this book!